Eating Disorder Therapy for Teens & Adults
Your life deserves to be about more than food, weight, and body image.
Eating disorders involve ongoing patterns of unhealthy eating behaviors that can affect a person's emotional, physical, and social well-being. They can affect anyone, regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity, or body size.
Eating struggles also exist on a spectrum. Not everyone who has a difficult relationship with food meets the criteria for a diagnosed eating disorder. However, behaviors such as restrictive eating, rigid food rules, frequent dieting, or feelings of guilt and shame surrounding food can still cause significant distress and impact everyday life.
You don't need a formal diagnosis or have to reach a certain level of severity for your struggles to be taken seriously.
If your relationship with food or your body is affecting your well-being, you deserve support. When thoughts about food, eating, or your body begin taking over your day, it can feel exhausting. Maybe you're constantly worrying about what you've eaten, struggling with guilt after meals, or feeling like your worth depends on how your body looks.
Or perhaps you're a parent watching your teen struggle with eating habits, body image, or changes in behavior, and you're unsure how to help.
At Heal and Thrive Therapy, Ashley Castillow, LICSW, has specialized training in treating eating disorders. She helps teens and adults work toward recovery, develop healthier relationships with food, and find freedom from the thoughts and behaviors that have been holding them back.
Eating Disorders We Treat
Eating disorders can affect anyone, regardless of age, gender, or body size. They don't always look the way people expect, and you don't have to reach a certain weight or level of severity to deserve help.
We provide specialized support for individuals struggling with:
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Characterized by restrictive eating, an intense fear of gaining weight, and difficulties with body image. Anorexia can significantly impact both physical and emotional health.
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Involves cycles of binge eating followed by behaviors intended to compensate for eating, such as vomiting, excessive exercise, or misuse of laxatives. These cycles are often accompanied by feelings of shame, guilt, and a loss of control.
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Involves recurring episodes of eating accompanied by a sense of losing control, often followed by distress, guilt, or shame.
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Involves significant food avoidance or restriction that may be related to sensory sensitivities, fear of choking or vomiting, or a lack of interest in eating. Unlike anorexia, ARFID is not driven by concerns about body weight or appearance.
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Includes eating disorders that cause significant distress or impairment but don't meet all the diagnostic criteria for another specific eating disorder.
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Not everyone struggling with food has a diagnosed eating disorder. Chronic dieting, rigid food rules, emotional eating, compulsive exercise, and negative body image can still have a significant impact on your well-being.
Eating Disorder Therapy for Teens
The teenage years can be challenging enough without feeling at war with your body.
Between social media, friendships, school, sports, and the pressure to fit in, teens are constantly navigating messages about how they should look, eat, and feel about themselves.
For some teens, eating disorders may develop alongside anxiety, perfectionism, low self-esteem, or a desire to feel in control.
Our therapists provide a safe, supportive environment where teens can openly discuss their struggles, better understand their emotions, and develop healthier ways of coping.
We also recognize that eating disorders affect the entire family. When appropriate, we work closely with parents and caregivers to help them understand their teen's challenges and learn how to support recovery at home.
How Do I Know If My Teen Has an Eating Disorder?
As a parent, it can be difficult to know what's typical teenage behavior and when something more serious may be going on.
Eating disorders aren't always easy to recognize, and many teens become skilled at hiding their struggles.
Some warning signs include:
Skipping meals, restricting food, or avoiding certain food groups
Becoming overly focused on calories, weight, or appearance
Feeling anxious, guilty, or upset after eating
Avoiding family meals or social situations involving food
Exercising excessively or feeling distressed when unable to exercise
Frequently criticizing their body or comparing themselves to others
Changes in mood, increased irritability, or withdrawing from family and friends
Secretive eating behaviors or frequent bathroom trips after meals
Changes in weight, energy levels, or physical health
It's important to remember that eating disorders can occur at any body size, and not every teen will show obvious warning signs.
If you're concerned, you don't have to wait until things get worse. Seeking an evaluation from an eating disorder specialist can help you better understand what's happening and what support your teen may need.
How Can Eating Disorder Therapy Help?
Eating disorder recovery looks different for everyone. We use evidence-based approaches tailored to your individual needs, experiences, and treatment goals.
Therapy may focus on:
Understanding and changing harmful eating patterns
Challenging rigid beliefs about food, weight, and body image
Developing healthier ways to manage anxiety and difficult emotions
Addressing perfectionism, self-criticism, and the need for control
Building self-esteem and self-compassion
Reducing shame and guilt surrounding food
Strengthening communication and relationships
Helping families better understand and support the recovery process
Because eating disorders affect both mental and physical health, treatment may involve collaboration with physicians, registered dietitians, and other eating disorder specialists to ensure comprehensive care.
Recovery Is Possible
Eating disorders can take up so much space in your life, affecting how you think, feel, and see yourself. But it doesn't always have to be this way.
Recovery is about more than changing eating habits. It's about rebuilding trust with yourself, finding freedom from rigid food rules, and learning to feel more comfortable in your own body.
Whether you're seeking support for yourself or your teen, our therapists are here to help you navigate the challenges of recovery with compassion, understanding, and specialized care.
You deserve to spend less time worrying about food and your body and more time enjoying the life in front of you.
